Preclassic and Classic Maya Exchange, Craft Production and Ritual Practices: A Diachronic Analysis of Lithic Artifacts around Ceibal, Guatemala

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Preclassic Maya Social Transformations along the Usumacinta: Views from Ceibal and Aguada Fénix" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

I discuss the results of a diachronic analysis of lithic artifacts collected from Ceibal, Guatemala, in order to elucidate long-term patterns and changes in the Preclassic and Classic Maya exchange, craft production and ritual practices. The interregional exchange of large polyhedral cores of obsidian from the Maya highlands and local production of pressure blades began as a result of sociopolitical development in Ceibal by the early Middle Preclassic Real 3 phase (775 - 700 B.C.). New ritual practices developed at Ceibal during the late Middle Preclassic period (700-350 B.C.), possibly through political interactions and negotiation involving emerging elites and other diverse community members. Common objects in ritual deposits in the public plaza shifted from greenstone celt caches to other artifacts, including those made of obsidian. El Chayal obsidian was heavily used during the early Middle Preclassic period, but San Martín Jilotepeque was the principal source of obsidian in the late Middle Preclassic, Late Preclassic and Terminal Preclassic periods. Obsidian was imported mainly in the form of more prepared polyhedral cores that were reduced into pressure blades at Ceibal throughout the Classic period. At that time, El Chayal resumed its place as the principal source of obsidian.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• Preclassic Maya Social Transformations along the Usumacinta: Views from Ceibal and Aguada Fénix

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24468